Axewomen fifth at hoops nationals

The Acadia Axewomen finished their season with a win.

Senior Sandy Saunders scored a game-high 19 points off the bench as Acadia defeated Calgary 78-76 March 12 to finish fifth at the U Sports women’s basketball nationals in Sydney.

Haley McDonald and Elizabeth (Lizzy) Iseyemi each scored 16 points in the win while Bianca Helmig tallied 13. Calgary led 19-11 after the first quarter but trailed 37-34 at the half and 60-58 heading to the fourth.

The seventh-seeded Axewomen opened the tournament with a 61-57 loss to second-ranked Alberta on March 9. Iseyemi and Julia Sylvester led Acadia with 14 and 11 points, respectively.

McDonald scored 26 to lead the Axewomen past Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) 74-56 March 10.